Council threatens own budget analysis. Daley responds: 'They can analycize anything.'

Chicago aldermen agreed Tuesday to swallow a bitter pill and force it down the throats of all 3,700 non-union city employees: 15 unpaid days off by Dec. 31 to ease the city's budget crisis.

The 42-to-6 vote was designed to pressure organized labor to agree to similar concessions to avert the need for 1,504 layoffs. But, aldermen also turned up the heat on Mayor Daley.

Burned by the parking meter fiasco and spurned in their demand for specific information about city contracts, aldermen are making noises about hiring their own budget analysts and generating their own spending plan to rival the mayor's version, just as they did during Council Wars.

"We can't have a partnership when there is no trust. We can't make a decision on partial information," said Ald. Manny Flores (1st).

Ald. Joe Moore (49th), one of only six aldermen to vote against the furlough plan, added, "If we eliminate all the contracts and all the consulting fees, would we balance the budget? Of course not. But, symbolism is very important. Taxpayers need to know where the bodies are buried."

Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) accused Daley of "nickel and diming" city employees while continuing to dole out multi-million dollar consulting contracts.

"What we're doing is the expedient thing. We're taking it out on our employees. We need to bite the bullet and stop playing around," she said.

Daley said he has no problem with aldermen hiring their own budget analysts, and he even made up a word to prove it.

"They can analycize anything. You know that," he told reporters.

But, the mayor took issue with aldermanic claims that his budget advisers had deceived aldermen or concealed information from them.

"I don't mind a strong debate and a heated debate. But, to accuse anybody of hiding [information] or not having trust is unfair. These are good, honest, hard-working people trying to do a very, very difficult job. ... They can criticize them. But, to accuse them personally goes beyond a civil debate," Daley said.

The mayor said he's well aware that 15 unpaid days are a hardship at a time when household incomes and retirement nest eggs are shrinking.

But, he said, "Would you rather have a job than have no job? ... If you don't take this, you're talking about huge layoffs in the city. ...We're talking about people losing their jobs -- not just for a year but for the rest of their lives. ... That means you're off. You're not coming back."

The mayor is poised to lay off 1,504 city employees, effective July 15, without another painful round of union givebacks.

The pick-your-poison menu of concessions includes: reduced work-weeks or schedules; furlough days; unpaid holidays; pay cuts; delayed prevailing wage increases; comp time for overtime; increased health care contributions and reduced sick-time accrual.

For non-union employees, the 15 unpaid days begin with the July 3 holiday, costing Chicago's $110,556-a-year aldermen roughly $6,600 in lost wages. The non-union plan is expected to save $14 million this year.

Aldermen are not happy about it. Nobody is. But, leading by example is their only hope to strike a deal with organized labor. A decision could come later this week.

"We need to show we're serious -- that we're not just blowing hot air," said Ald. Helen Shiller (46th).

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) added, "We're gonna tighten our belt and ask them to meet us half-way in tightening theirs."